David E. Parks

After reading the first two books, listening to this one was a disappointment. The narrator created an impressive array of voices. However, they all sounded like petulant children trying to imitate grown-ups. The book was also problematic. There are two seemingly unrelated stories in the book. The first story line moves along with good pacing. The second story is way to long and poorly paced. I guess I'll go back to the printed versions and hope they are more like the first two books.

I have read or listened to all of the Belgariad and Elenium series. They were outstanding.Based on my past experience with David Eddings and all the the 5 star ratings this book received I purchased it. I have suffered through 4 hours of this book and I don't think I can stand any more of it. First, you need to start a spreadsheet of all characters and locations. I am confused about who is whom and where is where. Then there is the reading. The reader sounds like he is swallowing his tongue every time he pronounces a name. I have listened through 4 hours of absolute drivel about this kingdom and that kingdom and this person and that person. Does it get any better than this? if so, how much more do I have to listen to before somebody does something interesting?

The way he garbled all the names.

boredom and confusion over all the names and locations

I recently purchased Fire Jumping" to see why the author is so popular. I was so disappointed with it that I never finished it. Although There were bursts of beautiful word smithing, in the main, Fire Jumpin was like a profanity laced Harlequin Romance.
Then I read all the reviews of this book that said, "Roberts is back." So I thought I would take another chance. I am so glad I did. I enjoyed this book as much as anything I have ever read or listened to. Julia Whelan does one of the most masterful readings to be found on audible. I am especially impressed with how well she did the men's voices. If got to see what other books she has read. As to the book, the pacing. the description of the surroundings, the cast of characters, the character development, the prose are all outstanding. The dialogue is as good as it gets. Makes you want to take a vacation in the Ozarks. Well done!

I've been a fan of Reynolds, but 16 hours into this book I finally gave up on it. Most of the book is taken up with an irrational and unbelievable cat fight that last for decades. Reynolds seems to be more interested in coming up with a novel (pardon the pun) concept than an interesting or entertaining plot.

No

All of it

dissappointment

This is the very best Fantasy series I have heard or read.

No

It made me laugh and cry

The descriptive prose is outstanding. The dialogue is tight and witty and never became boring or confusion.

Little Fuzzies was one of the best books in years. This book is nearly on a par with it. The plot is ingenious, the pacing outstanding, the character development is good. There was only one negative for me. As the book progressed, the profanity became more and more frequent. Just a personal preference for me, but I find it very distracting.

I have never Read Nora Roberts. But she is so popular I thought I would check her out. It was not what I expected. I listened to several hours and don't think I'll finish it. There were bursts of beautiful word smithing. But in the main, It was like a profanity laced Harlequin Romance

I thought this was going to be a humorous Sam Spade meets magic alternative world book. Although quite imaginative, I couldn't finish it. The storyline gets darker as more depressing as it goes

Scalzi's adaptation is the most fun I've had in a while! Fast moving and witty.

This book is unlike anything John Ringo has ever written. An author???s reputation can build momentum that translates into automatic sales because of the past reputation of the writer. Once this happens, a writer can lose sight of the reader and begin to write from himself. That is fine until he begins to abuse the reader???s time and money. I think that is what has happened with this book.
The second book in series is usually a somewhat slow setup for the grand finale, but this one makes the Wheel of Time tomes look like lightning in a bottle. I hope that friends or a good editor can help Ringo see what is happening here and bring him back to his normal superb style.
This book has about 2 hours of good content. Most of the book is consumed with irrelevant, redundant dialogue, and technical details that give new meaning to the word pedantic. For example: instead of just stating that a tech has figured out that a Chinese company is building defective super conductor connectors, there is a long boring dialogue about the design, function, composition, and manufacture of connectors. Then the dialogue shifts to what is wrong with the defective units, right down to the fact that they were supposed to be 70 nanos in thickness but were only 24 and should have been composed of 14 Ct. gold, but were of 7 Ct. gold (trusting my memory here on exact numbers).
I recommend listening to most of the book at 2X speed, then slowing down to 1.5X for most of the last 2 hours. The last hour is great. But you will pay your dues before you get there.

This episode appears to be a set up for the next novel in the Starship series. There is very little action. Most of the time is spent with the main character talking about what might happen next and what he is going to do about it. If you like lots of talk this one's for you.